Solar Aurora and a White Light Flare
Abstract
A white light flare analyzed by Krucker et al. (2011) poses a severe challenge to the solar physicist because of the high energy fluxes implied by a hitherto not achieved spatial resolution of simultaneous observations with Hinode and RHESSI. A scenario based on the auroral acceleration mechanism applied to flare conditions, 'Solar Aurora', is able to reproduce the observations, but implies several far-reaching assumptions on the mechanism as well as on the environmental parameters. Unavoidable consequences exist with regard to the spatial and temporal scales. They are extremely short because of the high density of the corona and the need for an energy conversion process involving some kind of anomalous resistivity, i.e. extremely high electric current densities. A further postulate is that of spontaneous propagation of an energy conversion front (ENF), once established, in three dimensions. It is assumed that about one half of the converted energy appears in form of runaway electrons. Obliqueness of the ENFs prevents the existence of a return current problem for the emerging runaway electrons. The key flare parameters are formulated quantitatively in terms of the environmental properties. Transverse length scales turn out to be in the ten centimeter range, time-scales in the range of one millisecond. The energy conversion occurs in 10E3 -10E4 ENFs just above the transition region in a background field of the order of 2000 G. Observational consequences are being discussed.
- Publication:
-
41st COSPAR Scientific Assembly
- Pub Date:
- July 2016
- Bibcode:
- 2016cosp...41E.784H